Classical Conditioning
by Linai
Summary: In which Beckett learns how certain activities associate with unexpected Castle visits.


**So my last story didn't go over as well as I'd hoped. I'm just going to throw this one out here and see how it does before deciding whether or not to continue. I think lately my stuff has gotten pretty dry and boring...  
**

**

* * *

**

It was a not-so guilty pleasure that she had sporadically decided to indulge in. For many women, it was relatively normal and sometimes, even expected behavior.

For Kate Beckett, things were always different. Most in her line of work might even see this as a weakness; a sign or perhaps a reminder that she didn't belong in the law enforcement world. Therefore, some time ago she had mentally convinced herself that it was necessary to keep this little detail of herself under wraps, like some dirty little secret that could never see the light of day.

She knew her boys well enough to know that the respect that she commanded from them wouldn't change in the long run, but she preferred to avoid the inevitable few days of humiliation as much as it was possible. At least she could take comfort in the fact that it wasn't something completely embarrassing like sliding around on hardwood floors in socks while violently strumming an invisible guitar...

* * *

It was one of those rare Saturdays where she actually wasn't on call, and she planned to utilize this opportunity to the fullest. Aside from forcing herself to get up earlier than was necessary on a weekend, today was about relaxation. It was about relinquishing some of the control she fought to keep at the precinct, and most of all... it was about letting go and indulging in guilty pleasures that she would have otherwise normally denied herself.

She pulled out all her necessary materials and set them on the counter before making a brief detour to the living room to put on some music. Her gaze swept quickly through her CD tower until she finally came across a classical album that she especially enjoyed. She popped the CD into the player and allowed the music to envelop her apartment, pausing briefly to soak in the soothing sounds of the various stringed instruments in the background. Venturing back into her kitchen, she reached for her large bowl and began pouring and mixing ingredients humming while she went.

That was another habit that she had fallen out of until recently. The last time she could remember humming on a regular basis was nearly five years ago, but lately she'd been feeling more and more inclined to do so.

It didn't take Lanie's extremely transparent hints for her to accept the reason for her recent change in behavior; she wasn't blind to the fact that this upswing in her general mood was largely due to Castle's influence. She refused to let herself delve into any of the obvious implications; she had baking to finish and she needed to concentrate if she was going to complete the task at hand. Or at least that's what she tried to tell herself. Ignoring the awkward feeling she had in the pit of her stomach, she quickly spooned out the batter and slid the mixture into the oven.

Roughly another fifteen minutes later the timer in her kitchen went off, reminding her that the result of her early morning labor was nearly ready to be enjoyed. Beckett finished reading the last words from the page of the book she had just started, closing it gently and setting it on the coffee table.

She was just about to turn the oven off and pull out its contents when a series of doorbell chimes interrupted her moment. Exasperated, she shook off her oven mitt and wiped her hands on a towel lying on her kitchen counter before making her way to the door. Who else would directly go to her apartment without so much as courtesy phone call? A quick peek through the peephole confirmed that her mystery guest was indeed Castle.

Beckett opened the door to see what he wanted and was met with a sheepish grin, the usual two travel cups of coffee, and a white paper bag. She frowned at him, somewhat sure that he wasn't supposed to be anywhere near her apartment. She was _fairly _sure they didn't have a case to follow and _absolutely_ sure that she expressly told him to go away just the day before.

Who was she kidding? This was Castle. He _never_ did anything she asked him to. She glared balefully at him, silently daring him to explain himself. If he caught on to her murderous aura, he'd dismissed it without a second thought. Instead, he'd sent one of his better grins at her and held up the tray of coffee and white paper bag.

She groaned and started to shut the door on him upon immediately recognizing the coffee and pastry for what they were: a thinly disguised bribe to get himself invited in. Not that she didn't need or want the rich smelling coffee, the bear claw that she knew was in the white paper bag, or... for that matter... the _man_ that brought them. If she wanted to keep any of her remaining dignity and prevent Castle's overinflated ego from reaching critical mass, she couldn't let him know. Ever.

"Good morning detective! I was on my way to the-" He stopped mid-sentence to tilt his nose up and sniff a few times at the air as he caught a whiff of something extremely delectable smelling.

It took her a split second for Beckett to figure out what he was reacting to, and another full second to remember to attempt to divert his attention by demanding a reason for dropping by so unexpectedly. She knew it was a long shot. Once Castle uncovered any tidbit of her personal life she knew he wouldn't let it go, but it couldn't hurt to try...

Predictably, he paid no attention to her request.

Castle couldn't believe what he was smelling and where the source of it was, somewhat sure that the early morning had something to do with the confusion his senses were currently experiencing. Not that it wasn't an extremely intriguing idea, it was just easier to believe that the smell had carried over to the spot he stood at, and that it came from one of the other adjacent apartments.

She could almost see the cogs turning inside his head as he stood silently in front of her. Against her better judgement she began to panic, her mind to race through the many flimsy excuses she could come up with on the fly. None of them seemed even remotely plausible, so rather than make herself sound foolish, she wisely opted to stay silent as he continued to puzzle the situation out.

Just to be safe (and for dramatic emphasis) he took another deeper inhale. Now he was _fairly_ sure that heavenly scent was indeed wafting out of her apartment. It wasn't until he was _absolutely_ sure he understood the entire situation that he decided to call her bluff.

She noticed the sudden change in his facial expression and panicked mentally for a few seconds before resigning to looking as nonchalant as possible, hoping against hope that he wouldn't make too much of a scene.

"Are you... " He broke into a huge gleeful grin at the thought, "...baking cookies?"

* * *

**TBC**

**Next - Beckett deals with Castle's new discovery.**

**As always, let me know what you think, and if you have suggestions or comments or anything let me know here or via the Twitter. Thanks!**


End file.
